"Post-reelection, the Obama administration is getting plenty of recommendations on national policy challenges. One set of ideas worth a second look is the newly released compendium of tips on how IT can help slash the federal deficit by more than $200 billion annually."

"President Obama's re-election last week means some of the most aggressive ideas for cutting federal pay and benefits are likely off the table. But the threat of some cuts still looms as policymakers set about forging a comprehensive budget deal in the coming months to fend off severe tax increases and spending cuts dubbed the 'fiscal cliff.'"

"The Pentagon has launched a sweeping review into misconduct by senior officers, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta announced Thursday, a rare undertaking at the nation's largest bureaucracy, beset by recent high-profile scandals involving the brass."

"It's been a long time coming, but Congress has finally approved legislation to strengthen protections for federal whistleblowers. With the Senate's bipartisan voice vote Tuesday, the measure, which advocates have been pushing for more than a decade, goes to President Obama for his signature. The legislation is designed to protect employees who expose government wrongdoing against retaliation by supervisors."

"The F.B.I. investigation that toppled the director of the C.I.A. and has now entangled the top American commander in Afghanistan underscores a danger that civil libertarians have long warned about: that in policing the Web for crime, espionage and sabotage, government investigators will unavoidably invade the private lives of Americans. "

"Climate change is suddenly a hot topic again. The issue is resurfacing in talks about a once radical idea: a possible carbon tax. On Tuesday, a conservative think tank held discussions about it while a more liberal think tank released a paper on it. And the Congressional Budget Office issued a 19-page report on the different ways to make a carbon tax less burdensome on lower income people."